I'm currently in the middle of a project to produce an RPG supplement in relation to one of my novels.
The kickstarter is here: <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1669927239/divine-blood-rpg"><img src="http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss121/thrythlind/divinebloodstamp2.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Currently I have raised $390 out of my hoped for $800 and attracted at least one potential playtester and I'm only 3 days into it.
The first artist payment has gone out to
hentaineko.deviantart.comHe'll be doing the racial pics for Humans, Demons and Gods soon as well as the organizational pic for the Disciples of the Evil Eye
I'll put an FAQ for the project below.
<b>"How much are you committing to this project?"</b>
I have budgeted out around $1000 to $1500 in the next year for the purpose of supporting the project myself.
I have already spent $60 and am about to spend another $70. I plan to make a record of how I spend the funds for backers through the kickstarter website.
<b>"What are you using the money for?"</b>
Pictures characterizing the races, organizations and nations of the setting
Maps
Graphic design for the pages
Cover art
Flavor art
various rewards from the project such as the kickstarter only hardbound color version. (2 claimed already)
<B>"What kind of game is this?"</b>
Tabletop Roleplaying Game
<B>"What system does it use?"</b>
I have written stats and mechanics for use with the Strands of Fate system. However, my intention is primarily to provide the setting information. Whatever system the GMs and players prefer is fine. The Fate rules exist only as an example of how it could be done. Perhaps free-form would be the best way to do it if everyone was willing to do so.
<B>"What is Divine Blood?"</b>
A fiction series I am currently writing. At the moment there is 1 novel and 4 short stories available on my driverthrurpg.com page. The short stories are free.
7 of the chapters of the first novel are available in the Public chapters section of my gallery as well.
:thumb271201123:
Series: Divine Blood
Volume 1
Title: Semester Start
Format: Novel - Three Acts
Genre: Sci-Fi - Paranatural
E-Copy Price: $3
Print Price: $9.95
Amazon:
www.amazon.com/dp/B006ESG092DrivethruRPG:
rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=97332:thumb321603571:
Series: Divine Blood Extracurricular
Volume 1-1
Title: Smoke over Grimsvotn
Format: Short Story
Genre: Sci-Fi - Paranatural
E-Book: Free (click thumbnail or go to link for a download)
DrivethruRPG:
rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/101944/Smoke-over-Gr%C3%ADmsv%C3%B6tn:thumb321604331:
Series: Divine Blood Extracurricular
Volume 1-2
Title: Following Dernhelm
Format: Short Story
Genre: Sci-Fi - Paranatural
E-Book: Free (click thumbnail or go to the link for a download)
DrivethruRPG:
rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/102621/Following-Dernhelm:thumb321604987:
Series: Divine Blood Extracurricular
Volume 1-3
Title: Serious Matter
Format: Short Story
Genre: Sci-Fi - Paranatural
E-Book: Free
DrivethruRPG:
rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/103921/Serious-Matter:thumb322517567:
Series: Divine Blood Extracurricular
Volume 1-4
Title: A Day in the Life of a Busy Woman
Format: Short Story
Genre: Sci-Fi - Paranatural
E-Book: Free (click thumbnail or go to the link for a download)
DrivethruRPG:
rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/105007/A-Day-in-the-Life-of-a-Busy-Woman<B>"What genre does this setting fall under?"</b>
Modern
Alternate History
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Urban Fantasy
Mecha
<B>"What is the primary mood of the setting?"</b>
Depends on the individual game master.
This can range from light-hearted comedic drama...
...to espionage and investigations...
...to lurking horror...
....and up to outright warfare.
<B>"Didn't you write a mega-crossover fanfiction with this title?"</b>
Yes, I did and some of the novel characters are clear expies.
A friend, multiple actually, noted that I had gotten to the point where the fanfic was more or less an original work with some relics of the inspiring stories. I took a year from other projects to write a reboot that was more cleaned as many of the relics as I could without changing the overall mood and dynamic.
Some things have remained the same, such as Avalon having a super-submarine run by a highly polite female captain. Other things have changed, such as said captain being in her thirties rather than her teens and having shown a somewhat different degree of ruthlessness than her inspiring character.
Other things stayed the same, such as the triplets' ethnicity. Though those were original characters in the first place.
In the original, some characters have been introduced earlier than they otherwise would have, but some, including one of the most popular original characters of the inspiring fanfiction, are still planned to be introduced at their original times.
<B>"What are some of the influences of this story?"</b>
Probably the biggest influences: Full Metal Panic!, Oh My Goddess!, Dresden Files, Gold Digger, Stargate SG-1, and Babylon 5.
Other Notable Influences: Ranma 1/2, Ghost Hunt, World Mythology (Greek and Norse heavily), Occult Academy, Marvel Universe, Type-Moon Universe (Fate/Stay-Night especially), the Belgariad, Tolkien, King Arthur myths, Ghost Whisperer
Minor Influences: GI Joe, James Bond, Supernatural, Castelvania, Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi, Touhou (second hand, mostly, conversations with pre-readers), Battletech, Devil May Cry, Read or Die, Stephen King, HP Lovecraft
<B>"What kind of races and creatures are in the setting?"</b>
Potentially anything from myth. Realistically, most non-humans look like humans, or can use illusions or shapechanging to appear as human...all the better to blend into society. Those that can't blend in generally don't exist in large numbers.
The novels primarily deal with the most successful races: humans, Gods and Demons. However, there are around 1.4 million sentient non-humans in the world, not counting the Gods and Demons, and only a few of the most successful races have more than five digit world wide populations with several species only having four digit populations.
There are also 52 million or so psychically active sentients in the world, not including Gods and Demons again (though including other non-humans).
The RP supplement has write ups for:
Human, Demon and God...of course...but also:
Dryad (very rare, result of parasitic infection), Gargoyle (rare), Ghoul (hopefully extinct, result of parasitic infection), Gorgon (very rare), Kitsune (very uncommon), Lemurian(uncommon), Raven(Harpy - uncommon), Sidhe(common), Succubus (thought to be extinct), Therianthrope (common), Wolfen (very rare) and Vampyr (very rare)
<b>"Isn't this setting very busy with concepts?"</b>
YES!
For one set of stories by a single author, this is very busy.
That's why the novels focus on humans, Demons and Gods and other races are less prominent, despite being relatively numerous.
There's really no easy way to fit every single possible story that's going on in the universe even in a story the scope of the one I have planned.
However, this is not so different from Marvel, Forgotten Realms, DC Universe, Gold Digger and many other major universes. All of which have a similarly busy collection of elements going on.
GMs are encouraged to discuss with their players what sort of story they'd like to tell.
<B>"If there are so many psychics and such, how come nobody knows about them?"</b>
The average powered individual in most universes goes around using their power to gather power, protect people and what not. They tend to live unusual lives, don't have regular jobs and generally don't fit in. When they get their powers, they often have to figure them out on their own. They are prone to spectacular displays of what they can do.
The average powered individual in Divine Blood has an average job and might use their powers only once or twice a week or so. For example, one of the side characters in the novel is a "therianthrope" whose parents are accountants and generally don't use their shape changing abilities save for the occasional family camping out. Most out of control unintelligent monsters are sealed or extinct. They've had supporting communities for hundreds if not thousands of years, even if its only gotten really safe and secure from things like witch hunts in the last two hundred years or so. They've gotten so complacent they're not even really aware of populous they are and most aren't paying attention to the signs of chaos on the way. (non-occult signs, just normal ones...political activity and the like)
That said, as compared to the real world, you're less likely to be laughed at for telling people about psychic powers, ghosts, monsters and faeries or whatever. Some elements of the Community are working to bring their existence into the open gradually. (unaware they have less time than they think). A lot of people in the DB universe believe that they are believers in this sort of thing without actually knowing anything about what they're talking about.
Also, most governments know about psychics, they just vastly underestimate the population.
<B>"What rewards are you offering for backers?"</B>
Being a playtester.
Getting to choose the subject matter of some of the flavor art.
Drawings of yourself as a DB race/character.
Use of a character of your creation in a mechanics example.
Copies of this book when it comes out end of next year.
Copies of other books I already have posted.
Signed copies of the above.